Selecting Manchester United's Starting XI for Opening Day vs. West Ham

The 2017/18 Premier League fixtures were announced on Wednesday, and Manchester United's opening game is against West Ham United.

No one knows what kind of team will line up in that game; there are simply too many variables. Pre-season form, injuries and the uncertainty over new arrivals mean predictions are likely to miss the mark.

Nonetheless, with speculation rife about the players United will bring in this summer, it might be fun to take a stab at who will make up their starting XI when West Ham come to town in August.

Formation: 4-3-3

There are a few different formations manager Jose Mourinho could opt for when the new season starts. In 2016/17, he mostly favoured either 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, but there were experiments with the increasingly popular 3-4-3 along the way.

We have plumped for 4-3-3 here with a view to creating an attacking lineup that gets the best out of the players already at the club and some of the potential new signings. A 4-3-3 would be beneficial to United's inside forwards and—crucially—Paul Pogba, though it would deny the possibility of an out-and-out No. 10 taking his place in the lineup.

However, anything from 3-4-3 to 4-4-2 is on the table, depending on arrivals.

Goalkeeper: David De Gea

A relatively bold prediction, unfortunately for United fans. There is a chance David De Gea could leave for Real Madrid given the protracted transfer sagas of past summers. With Marca reporting he is staying at United (h/t The Independent's Ed Malyon on Twitter), fans can perhaps afford to hope he will be in goal against West Ham.

After all, assuming he stays and is fit, he will obviously be first choice. And if he does stay, the cliche of being "like a new signing" will be pretty apt in terms of Mourinho's squad-building. World-class goalkeepers are hard to come by.

Right-Back: Antonio Valencia

United's most-improved player under Mourinho, Antonio Valencia has been a revelation at right-back. Last summer, his looked like a position that needed an upgrade. It no longer does.

Centre-Back: Eric Bailly

Eric Bailly is United's best centre-back and a guaranteed starter when fit.

Centre-Back: Victor Lindelof

United announced the signing of Swedish centre-back Victor Lindelof from Benfica on Wednesday, and it seems reasonable to assume he will start ahead of the other choices available to Mourinho if fit.

Marcos Rojo could be in with a shout given his excellent performances last season, but Mourinho generally preferred to partner him with Phil Jones rather than Eric Bailly. Given the level of investment in Lindelof, the manager must surely see him and Bailly forming the heart of United's defence for a good while to come.

Left-Back: Matteo Darmian

Matteo Darmian will be an unpopular decision with fans for a few reasons. First, Luke Shaw remains a crowd favourite. Second, received wisdom suggests that if Shaw does not feature in Mourinho's plans, an upgrade should be sought. Third, the Italian has been relatively unconvincing in the role, particularly in an attacking capacity.

So why pick him here? Well, there is no evidence of a detente between Mourinho and Shaw—no promising noises have emerged from either camp so far. And the United boss clearly trusts Darmian to serve as the defensive option. Unlike the Sir Alex Ferguson era, there is generally only one full-back forward at a time under Mourinho, and it is usually Valencia. This leads to some imbalance in attack, but the manager seems happy enough with that as long as defensive stability is maintained.

While an upgrade on Darmian might be appealing, there is more urgent work to be done in this transfer window. Hence his place in this theoretical starting XI.

Centre-Midfield: Ander Herrera

Ander Herrera is an automatic pick after his Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year-winning campaign last time out.

Nils Petter Nilsson/Getty Images

Centre-Midfield: Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba is one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League and a serious candidate to usurp Herrera for that award next time out. With his first proper rest and pre-season in a while, the Frenchman might just be in line for a seriously impressive season in 2017/18. He is a guaranteed starter for United when fit.

Centre-Midfield: Fabinho

This is perhaps the most optimistic selection here. The rumour mill was recently leaning pretty heavily toward Fabinho coming to United, per Anthony Jepson of Manchester Evening News. On Tuesday, though, James Robson of the same newspaper said Mourinho had ruled out a move for the Brazilian.

It is much to be hoped this is simply a negotiating position, though, as Fabinho's calm, assured passing would be the perfect accompaniment to Herrera's bombast and Pogba's guile in the centre of the park.

The AS Monaco man would be a near-perfect replacement for Michael Carrick as the former England international enters what will surely be his last season at the club.

Right-Wing: Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Henrikh Mkhitaryan's first season at United was a somewhat mercurial affair, with the gap between his highest highs and lowest lows being pretty wide. He was one of the few United players who performed badly in the Europa League final, though his excellent goal more than made up for his overall lack of contribution.

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But Mourinho must persist with the Armenian, making him a key part of his plan from the off and building an attack that gets the best out of his talents.

The other serious option for this position would be Juan Mata, whom Mourinho played a great deal last season. If that happens, expect to see Mkhitaryan replace the Spaniard around the hour mark of the first game.

Left-Wing: Marcus Rashford

Given how incessantly United are being linked with centre-forwards, it seems unlikely Marcus Rashford will start in that spot. However, it does seem reasonably likely he will start. Mourinho clearly trusts the youngster, and while Anthony Martial might be slightly more assured on the wing, if only one of them starts, Rashford would seem to be Mourinho's man.

There are other options here too. Mkhitaryan could play on the left to free up the right side for Mata. Jesse Lingard could feature. As could potential new arrivals. But as things stand, Rashford seems a likely first choice.

Centre-Forward: Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata's agent, Juanma Lopez, recently told Italian website Calciomercato that United have made "a very important offer" for the Real Madrid forward (h/t Sky Sports News HQ).

This saga is far from over, but assuming he is United's key target and that business is concluded successfully and in time for pre-season, Morata will start up front.

If this does come to pass, the West Ham game will have added mystique, as United's support will be eager to see whether the former Juventus man can have the same kind of early impact Zlatan Ibrahimovic managed last time out.